The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918

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The South Staffordshire Regiment

Battalions of the Regular Army

1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa.
Returned to England, landing Southampton
19 September 1914.
Came under orders of 22nd Brigade in 7th
Division. Moved to Lyndhurst.
6 October 1914 : landed at Zeebrugge.
20 December 1915 : transferred to 91st Brigade in same Division.November 1917 : moved with Division to Italy.

2nd BattalionAugust 1914
: in Aldershot. Part of 6th Brigade in 2nd
Division.Landed at Le Havre 13 August 1914.

3rd (Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : in Whittington, Lichfield. A depot/training unit, it remained in UK throughout
the war. Moved on mobilisation to Plymouth and in May
1915 to Sunderland. Moved again in November 1916 to Forest Hall (Newcastle) for duty with the Tyne Garrison.

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : in Lichfield. Moved on mobilisation to Jersey and in September 1916 to Marske (Redcar). Moved to Canterbury in June 1917.
10 October 1917 : landed at Le Havre and came under orders of 7th Brigade in 25th Division.
22 June 1918 : after heavy losses, remnants of various battalions including this moved into 25th Composite Brigade. Brigade transferred to 50th (Northumbrian) Division.
11 July 1918 : reduced to cadre strength and transferred
to 116th Brigade in 39th Division.
6 November 1918 : disbanded in
France.

Battalions of the Territorial Force

1/5th Battalion
August 1914 : in Walsall. Part of Staffordshire
Brigade in North Midland Division. Moved to Luton area and in November 1914 went on to Bishops Stortford.Landed at Le Havre 3 March 1915.
12 May 1915 : formation became the 137th Brigade, 46th (North Midland) Division.January 1916 : moved to Egypt, returning to France next month.

1/6th Battalion
August 1914 : in
Wolverhampton. Record same as 1/5th Bn.

2/5th Battalion
Formed at Walsall in September 1914 as a home service ("second
line") unit. Became part of 2nd Staffordshire
Brigade in 2nd North Midland Division. Moved to Luton area by January 1915 and in July went on to St Albans.Moved to Ireland in April 1916 to quell disturbances.
August 1915 : formation became the 176th Brigade, 59th (2nd North Midland) Division.
Moved in January 1917 to Fovant and landed at Le Havre 25 February 1917.
30 January 1918 : disbanded in
France.

2/6th Battalion
Formed at Wolverhampton in September 1914 as a home service ("second
line") unit. Record same as 2/5th Bn.
9 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength and transferred to 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division.
31 July 1918 : disbanded in France.

3/5th and 3/6th Battalions
Formed at home bases in 1915 as "third line" units. Moved to Catterick.
8 April 1916
: renamed 5th and 6th Reserve Bns.
On 1 September 1916, 5th absorbed the
6th Bn. Moved to Lincoln in March 1917 and spent July to December at Mablethorpe. Moved to Lincoln again in 1918 but went on to Sutton on Sea and by November 1918 was back at Mablethorpe.

Battalions of the New Armies

7th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Lichfield in August
1914 as part of K1 and became part of 33rd Brigade in 11th
(Northern) Division. Moved initially to Grantham. Moved
to Frensham in April 1915.Sailed from Liverpool in early July 1915 for Gallipoli,
landing at Suvla Bay 7 August 1915.Evacuated from Gallipoli December 1915, moved to Egypt via Imbros.Moved to France in July 1916.

8th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Lichfield in September
1914 as part of K2 and became part of 51st Brigade in 17th
(Northern) Division. Moved to Wareham and on to West Lulworth and Wool
in January 1915. Moved to Winchester in June 1915.Landed at Boulogne
14 July 1915.23 February 1918 : disbanded in
France. Personnel dispersed to 2/6th and 7th Battalions and also to 7th Entrenching Battalion.

9th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers)
Formed at Lichfield in September
1914 as part of K3. Moved to Aldershot and in December 1914 went into Talavera Barracks.
Attached as Army Troops to 23rd
Division, and became Pioneer Bn December 1914. Moved to Shorncliffe in March 1915 and went on in May to Oxney Park (Bordon).Landed at Boulogne 24 August 1915.Moved with Division to Italy in November 1917.

10th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed in Plymouth
in October 1914 as a Service Battalion of K3 but in November transferred to K4 and attached to 99th Brigade,
original 33rd Division. Moved to Tavistock in December 1914.
April 1915 : became a Reserve Battalion and moved soon afterwards to Harrogate.
Moved on to Rugeley Camp (Cannock Chase) in November 1915.
1 September 1916 : absorbed into Training Reserve Battalions
of 2nd Reserve Brigade.

11th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed in Jersey
in October 1914 as a Service Battalion of K4.
April 1915 : became a Reserve Battalion and moved soon afterwards to Harrogate.
Moved on to Rugeley Camp (Cannock Chase) in October 1915.
1 September 1916 : converted into 9th Training Reserve Battalion
of 2nd Reserve Brigade.

Other Battalions

12th (Labour) Battalion
Formed in Brocklesby in June 1916.
October 1916 : landed in France, moved to Fifth Army.
April 1917 : transferred to Labour Corps as 26th and 27th Labour
Companies.

1st (Garrison) Battalion
Formed in Lichfield in January 1917
and moved to India.

This page is also especially dedicated to the remembrance of all ranks of the
1st Battalion, in whose every footstep on the Western Front
I have trodden, from Wipers to to Loos to High Wood to Bullecourt
and back again. They truly were "The finest show yet".

Officers of "B" Company of the 1/6th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment in No.38 Trench at Hill 60, three miles south-east of Ypres during March 1915. (L to R): Lieutenant Walter Nelson, Major E Lewis, Lieutenant G Howard Smith. Image courtesy of the Department of Photographs at the Imperial War Museum, iomage reference Q60504.

The regimental badge as depicted on a CWGC grave headstone. Author's collection.

Links

Albert Baker, from Aston in Birmingham who enlisted into 7th Battalion, saw service at Gallipoli and was killed in action on 7 June 1917; James Flavell MM, of the 1/5th Battalion, killed in action on on 12 October 1918; Captain Reginald Charles Piper, who died on 29 April 1918 at the age of 34 - he had previously been Adjutant of the 1/6th Battalion;
and William Johnson, of 2nd Battalion, who died in enemy hands on 31 July 1918.

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